truly say as a nation that we're meeting our obligations? can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm? can we claim as a nation that we're all together there, letting them know that they're loved and teaching them to love in return? can we say that we're truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose. i have been reflecting on this the last few days and if we're honest with ourselves the answer is no. # we're not doing enough.

and we will have to change. in the coming weeks, i'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens from law enforcement to mental health professionals, to parents and educators. in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. because what choice do we have? we can't accept events like this as routine. are we really prepared to say that we're power less? in the face of such carnage. that the politics are too hard. are we prepared to say that such violence visited upon our children year after year is somehow the price of our freedom. >> now before the president spoke, the calls for gun control already echoing throughout washington.

on meet press, they said it's time to make the issue of gun control top priority. >> i can tell you that he's going to have a bill to lead on, because as a first day bill, i'm going to introduce in the senate and the same bill will be introduced in the house, a bill to ban assault weapons, the ban transfer, the possession, not retro actively but perspectively. and big clips, drums and strips of more than ten bullet. >> reporter: it's time for the president, i think, to stand up and lead and tell this country what we should do. not go to congress and say, what you guys want to do. this should be his number one agenda, he's the president of the united states, and if he does nothing during his second term something like 48,000 americans will be killed with

illegal guns, we got to question whether military-style weapons and big magazines belong on the streets of america. no one questions the second ahandment to bear arms. i think the president through his leadership could get a bill like that through congress, but at least he's got to try. >> we're learning new details about the time line of friday's devastating attack. police say the gunman, 20-year-old adam lanza was armed with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and in his ram page could have been worse had the police not closed in quickly. peter williams has more on the investigation. >> reporter: the horrifying sequence begins friday morning, they don't know what time. when adam lanza takes hundreds of rounds of ammunition and four firearms from his gun enthusiast mother and shooting her while

she lay sleeping. before leaving he damages his computers. just before 9:30 he loads the guns and ammunition into his mother's car and drives the roughly five miles to sandy hook elementary school, a place he knows from his childhood, officials say. >> he had a relationship to the school. had attended there, at least that's what i'm led to believe. but, beyond that, we really don't know a whole lot. >> reporter: relatives say his mother once volunteered there, but apparently there's no record of that. he's carrying two handguns and a bush master ar-15-style rifle. the school door is locked state officials say, so adam lanza blasts his way in with a rifle shattering a window. the sound alerts principal dawn hochsprung and school cyclingist

mary sherlach. he turns left toward the kindergarten and first class and he heads to the classroom of substitute teacher lauren rousseau. 14 kids are killed. from there he heads to victoria soto's room. two other too muchers rachel davino. the horror is over in 15 minutes. >> the bushmaster was used as was explained yesterday in the school in its entirety and the handgun was take his own life. >> nbc's pete williams reporting. last night president obama exited to a standing ovation in newtown, after he called for change when it comes to guns. as sandy hook remains closed indefinitely.

nbc's danielle leigh joins us from newtown. how important was it for them to hear directly from the president? >> reporter: bill, good morning. people are finding comfort in the president's promise to do something to prevent future mass shootings. the country and really the whole world is behind them right now. unfortunately it does limit to replace their sadness. as this community prepares to lay to rest two of their youngest victims. for this community they're just struggling to cope with this unimaginable crime, we're just about a week away from the christmas holiday and i was speaking a man who lost a loved one at a memorial yesterday, he said that he can't celebrate this year. for many of them, the reality is just starting to sink in. the schools are here closed.

as early as tomorrow, students who didn't attend sandy hook elementary school will go back to school. reporting live in newtown, connecticut, i'm danielle leigh. bill back to you. mike, this morning for the first time i tried to look at the pictures of those beautiful first graders, couldn't do it, i honestly got angry. where are you in processing this whole thing? >> i don't think i'm whole lot different from you. a weight of sadness in any soul, i think in the souls of a lot of people that carry into this week about the events of last week because as you said, the images, the pictures, the season the promise of children, the memories that you have of your own children, the snap shots that so many people have in their mind's eyes about their

time with their children when children were 6 and 7. days at the beach. christmas season. it's been very much diminished. also an edge of anger that i carry about this. about us as a nation, about what's not been done about what happened and how it happened. so, it's a jumble of emotions that i think and i'm not alone, certainly, that i carry into this week and have carried all weekend. now, lot of people still in shock going through and into morning, did it surprise you yesterday, sunday, the morning talk shows dove into the issues of politics and the president last night suggested that we need to change. >> no, it didn't surprise me. because it's the key topic and absolutely involves politics. there's no way to get around.

you don't change the way we live with regard to gun ownership and there's a big difference here, i think part of it is se mattic. people were talking about gun control yesterday, i would favor eliminating that phrase from the political lexicon. instead, i would prefer they would talk about gun sense. it makes no sense for someone, 16, 18, 20 years of age to be able to buy and employ a weapon that, you know, shoots 100 rounds per second or 6 rounds per second in the case of the bushmaster. makes no sense. let's deal with the sense of this. no one is coming to take people's guns away, we'll try have to some common sense with

assault rifles. >> where do we go from here? we move on and nothing happens. do you think something is going to change? >> you know, i mean, i have lived through a president being shot and killed. the united states senator shot and killed. attempted assassinations of two presidents. i would like to think it's a tipping point. i i think it may be a tip pointing for one reason, three numbers, 20 and 6 and 7. the number of young victims. 20. and the ages. think of your 6-year-old and 7-year-old or your older children when they were 6 or 7, give them a chance at life. >> thanks, mike. we'll learn a lot more from you coming up on "morning joe."

usually at this time, we ask you to send an e-mail at way too early. we want to hear what has touched you the most about the connecticut shooting, be it the teachers and heroic actions or the first responders. when we come back -- a look at how the nfl handled the tragedy including personal tributes from the league and players, that and a check of your forecast when "way too early" comes back. [ male announcer ] this is bob,

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have snow coming down, roads are slick in vermont. traveling in new england this morning, we have a lot of rain further to the south, down around new york city, southern portions of new england, fourth to the north we're dealing with the icy stuff. so the forecast today, it will warm up and roads will improve. but it will be an umbrella day. the west coast is dealing with a big storm and a lot of snow at the high elevations. as far as the forecast goes out there, most of the country today, middle of the nation is fine. traveling on the coasts use caution. we turn to sports now. the sports world stopped and paid tribute to the victims of the sandy hook elementary school shootings. every nfl team took part in a moment of silence before the games began to remember those affected by the tragedy in newtown, connecticut. the new england patriots sent up

26 flares in honor of each victim. in st. louis, players wearing the number 26, met in the middle of the field, held hands, symbolizing the 26 lives lost. new york giants wore s.h.e.s. on their and vick tore cruz found out one of the victims 6-year-old jack pinto, he wrote his name on his shoes. jack, this game is for you. other sports events were marked by those lost in the sandy hook elementary school. miami heat brought their children on to the court for a moment of silence before the game against wizards, including lebron james and other teams new york knicks honored the victims before the game over the

weekend. while so many of us were affected by friday's event, those at the center at tragedy are becoming to come to grip with what happened. some of the teachers are sharing their terrifying stories. here's what they told nbc's matt lauer in their own worsdz. >> i heard what sounded like a popping sound and then, some noises coming over the loud speaker, sounded like weeping noises and really wasn't sure what was going on at that point. and then, realized that we were in some sort of a situation. so, i gathered my class over to -- my coat closet area, which is what we practice in our lockdown and had them sit down on the floor. i locked the door.

>> were they very upset? >> they did continue to cry but they were able to hold it together. they were -- they were amazing. they were quiet when i needed them to be and they held each other. and they were perfect. they were perfect. >> we walked down the hall and we went out an exit door of a building. and i did pass some blood on the floor which wasn't a lot, hopefully, the children didn't see it. i told them to look up, look away. we followed one another. we walked the sidewalk down by the soccer fields to the firehouse. >> what was that scene like? >> the parents were very upset. and parents came and picked up their kids and hugged them and kissed them and held their child. >> you're talking about a time period that was pure chaos.

>> oh, yes. >> yet, now, you have had a chance to understand the scope of what happened, how do you get your arms around it, connie? >> i'm not sure yet. it seems as though, the expression, i'll take this one day at a time, becomes i'll take this one minute at a time. and -- >> so, how do you go back to school, how do you welcome back these students back, how do you get them to trust again? >> we continue to stay as a unit. we're a very strong staff. we're a very strong community at sandy hook school. we have amazing teachers, amazing leaders, amazing parents. we know how to operate. this has been a very difficult situation. we're going to pick up the pieces somehow, we're going to stick together. and in time, we'll heal.

we find comfort reflecting on the incredible person that emilie was and how many lives that she was able to touch in her short time here on earth.

emilie was bright. creative and very loving. emilie was always willing to try new things, other than food. she loved to use her talents to touch everyone that she came into contact with, she was an exceptional artist and she always carried around her markers and pencils so that she never missed an opportunity to draw a picture or make a card for those around her. i can't count the number of times emilie noticed someone feeling sad or frustrated, rush to get a paper, to draw a picture or write a note. >> this was the father of this beautiful 6-year-old girl emilie parker, one of the 20 children murdered on friday at newtown, connecticut. one of the most touching tributes came from saturday night live which opened the show with a children's choir singing "silent night."

♪ holy night ♪ all is calm, all is bright ♪ round your virrin mother and child ♪ ♪ holy infant so tender and mild ♪ ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ silent night ♪ holy night ♪

♪ with the angels, let us sing ♪ hallelujah to our king ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace

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we asked for your responses to this horrific tragedy. >> we got a bunch of i'm an ele schoolteacher. i can't wait to get to school today and tell the kids how amazing they are and i'll do everything in my power to keep them safe. another one from lauren. the despair that parents have when they have a mentally ill child. i don't think this is just about guns. it's about how we care for our citizens. lastly, angel writes, the eyes of the world are focused on the united states of america to see if there is true leadership in its politicians. we need the courage to lead. >> all i ask from everyone, thanks for your responses. keep this conversation going.

bring it with you today, tomorrow and the days ahead until we never have a tragedy like this ever again. "morning joe" starts right now. here in newtown, i come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. i am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. i can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief. that our world, too, has been torn apart. that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you. we've pulled our children tight.